The just shall live by his faith emerges as the keystone of Habakkuk after the prophet voices his second dilemma. Having accepted that God would use the Chaldeans to judge Judah, Habakkuk questions how the Holy One can employ a more wicked nation as the instrument of correction. God responds that the vision is for an appointed time and will surely come, then states the principle that the proud have no upright soul while the just shall live by his faith. This declaration resolves the tension by affirming that God remains sovereign over history, will in due course judge the Babylonians as well, and requires His people to trust His control and timing rather than demand immediate explanations. The same statement is later quoted in the New Testament to underscore justification by faith and perseverance. Habakkuk models the required response by first pausing to reflect, restating the attributes of God as everlasting, holy, sovereign, and faithful, applying those truths to his situation, and finally committing the unresolved moral difficulty to God while watching for further revelation. The principle therefore functions both as the immediate answer to the prophet's perplexity and as the governing theme of the entire book, leading to the series of woes against the unrighteous in chapter 2 and culminating in Habakkuk's own declaration that he will rejoice in the God of his salvation even if every material blessing fails.